Tag Archive | "defections"

THE last general election birthed a situation that was not common before 2008: the Barisan Nasional (BN) functioning as an opposition. Although the BN has been the opposition in Kelantan for many years, it was a completely new experience for them in Selangor, Penang, Perak and Kedah. Indeed, the blanket term “opposition” previously used to [...]

“We are still waiting for [the defectors'] reactions before releasing the information publicly. We will make a public exposé in the near future.” PARTY Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, claiming that RM2 million and multi-million ringgit government contracts had been offered to elected representatives who left the party. He said [...]

(Pic by Jascha400d / sxc.hu) IS the timing of the resignations from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) before and during the one-week Hulu Selangor by-election campaign purely coincidental? Two days before nomination day on 17 April 2010, Bakar Arang assemblyperson Tan Wei Shu became an independent lawmaker in the Kedah state assembly. As if knowingly, Deputy [...]

WITHIN a month, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) has been rocked with the resignations of high-profile party leaders, including three federal lawmakers. Bayan Baru Member of Parliament (MP) Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohamed Hashim quit in early February 2010, followed by Nibong Tebal MP Tan Tee Beng a fortnight later. It might have been easy to dismiss [...]

I HAVE no doubt that a two-party system is better than the one-party state we currently live in. However, what is desirable is not necessarily viable. As I have argued, blind faith in the feasibility of a two-party system may lead to either one-party predominance (under the Barisan Nasional [BN] or Pakatan Rakyat [PR]), or [...]

Game over for Pakatan Rakyat? WHEN speculation is rife about the possible disintegration of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR), not least via media reports, I cannot help but ask two questions: What could Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak possibly gain by this? And what weapons do parliamentary Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the [...]